Chapter 9 — 30 Years of Stolen Identity

Party A (To Nghenh) authorizes Party B (To Phan) to hold the property in their name for a period of three months. At the end of the term, Party B must unconditionally refund. But below there is a small text.

"If during the household name period, Party B needs to handle assets for personal purposes, Party A must unconditionally cooperate."

I laughed.

“Mom, who wrote this version?”

“So… your father asked for a lawyer…”

“Which lawyer?”

"Don't ask any lawyers! It's just an agreement anyway!" My mother began to get impatient. "Ngh Nghenh, this is the last time. Just help Judge this time, we won't bother you anymore in the future. Is that okay?"

“Using your house to help my daughter cheat?”

"What a lie! Mr. Trieu's judgment was sincere!"

“Honestly, you have to use your child's house as his property?”

My mother was speechless.

“Mom, go home.” I said. “I did not sign this copy.”

“To Nghenh!” My mother suddenly raised her voice. "Do you want to force your brother to death to satisfy him?! He's at the police station! If Mr. Trieu knew he was lying to him, he would definitely leave him! His whole life is over!"

“That's his choice.”

"It's wrong! But I'm her older sister! Can't I pull her with a hand?!"

“Pull it?” I looked at her. “Mom, the day I was lying on the operating table, did anyone pull me?”

My mother was stunned.

"The day I had my hysterectomy, I signed the papers myself. When the anesthetic wore off, I couldn't sleep all night in pain. The nurse asked where my family was, and I said: I don't have any family."

"When I was pushed out of the operating room, the hospital room was empty. The bed next to me, the whole family gathered around. Mom fed me porridge, dad peeled apples, husband held hands."

“As for me, there's nothing.”

"The doctor said I won't be able to have children in the future. Lying on the hospital bed, the first thing I thought was: finally, no one is forcing me to get married anymore. Finally, no one is using the saying 'not having children is a sin' to oppress me anymore."

“Do you know how I felt at that moment?”

I looked straight into her eyes.

“I'm relieved.”

“You are free.”

The agreement in mother's hand fell to the ground. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end she couldn't. I turned around and walked into the apartment complex. Security stopped her. Behind me, I still heard her scream:

"To Nghenh! You will regret it! You will definitely regret it!"

I don't turn around. The elevator goes up. When I got home, I stood in front of the window and looked down. My mother was still standing there, motionless. Ten minutes later, she left. The thermos was left on the ground. I picked up the phone and texted Detective Ho:

“Does To Phan have any new developments?”

He answered very quickly:

"She just left the police station. She is currently at the Xinghewan apartment, on a video call with Mr. Trieu. It seems he is urging her to provide documents proving her assets."

I texted back:

“Continue to monitor.”

Putting down the phone, I turned on the computer. Search for “Zhao Jianguo building materials”. A series of information appears. Trieu Kien Quoc, 45 years old, from An Son city. Working in construction materials business for more than 20 years, divorced last year, company assets are estimated at 20,000,000 yuan. But on the court notice page, I saw a different story. Trieu Kien Quoc's company was sued three months ago. The plaintiff is a bank in An Son. Reason: violation of loan contract. Amount: 6,000,000 yuan. Wednesday morning, I went to the police station. To Phan has completed the report and is processing bail. Seeing me, it bowed head, trying to get past. It stopped.

“Let's talk.”

In the coffee shop next to the police station, two sisters sat facing each other. To Phan's eyes are red and swollen, without makeup, she looks a few years older.

“Sister, I know it's wrong.” It spoke first. "I'll return the 800,000 yuan. I'll just let you borrow the house for three months, okay?"

“What about three months later?”

"Three months later, I will marry Mr. Trieu and will return the house to you. I will also give you more money, as interest."

“How much to give?”

To Phan's eyes lit up.

"500,000 yuan! No, 1,000,000 yuan! Mr. Trieu said, as long as you prove you have assets, he will register the marriage. His company is having a big project that needs capital. After completing the project, he will earn 10,000,000 yuan!"

“So you plan to use my house to help him borrow money?”

"It's not a loan! Just... just proof of assets!" To Phan panicked. "Sister, Mr. Trieu is really rich. He drives Mercedes, lives in a villa, earns several million yuan every year. If you marry him, you will become a rich wife in the future. I will definitely not forget your gratitude at that time!"

I gently stir the coffee.

“Does Mr. Trieu know that I have a thirteen-year-old child?”

To Phan's face stiffened.

“No… don't know yet.”

“Are you going to hide it for the rest of your life?”

“After getting married, I will slowly say…”

“What if he doesn't need me anymore?”

“He won't!” To Phan held my hand. "Sister, Mr. Trieu really likes you. He says you are independent, capable, and ambitious. He doesn't care if you have children or not!"

I withdrew my hand.

“To Phan, Mr. Trieu's company owes the bank 6,000,000 yuan, did you know?”

To Phan was stunned.

“On the court portal there is.” I showed him the phone. "I was sued three months ago. If I can't pay, the company will go bankrupt."